EP2656145A1 - Fluide approprié au jet durcissable pour la fabrication d'une matrice d'impression flexographique - Google Patents

Fluide approprié au jet durcissable pour la fabrication d'une matrice d'impression flexographique

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Publication number
EP2656145A1
EP2656145A1 EP11804546.7A EP11804546A EP2656145A1 EP 2656145 A1 EP2656145 A1 EP 2656145A1 EP 11804546 A EP11804546 A EP 11804546A EP 2656145 A1 EP2656145 A1 EP 2656145A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
jettable fluid
meth
acrylate
curable
curing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP11804546.7A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP2656145B1 (fr
Inventor
Eddie Daems
Luc Vanmaele
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Agfa NV
Original Assignee
Agfa Graphics NV
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Agfa Graphics NV filed Critical Agfa Graphics NV
Priority to EP11804546.7A priority Critical patent/EP2656145B1/fr
Publication of EP2656145A1 publication Critical patent/EP2656145A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP2656145B1 publication Critical patent/EP2656145B1/fr
Not-in-force legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
    • C08F—MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS
    • C08F220/00—Copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and only one being terminated by only one carboxyl radical or a salt, anhydride ester, amide, imide or nitrile thereof
    • C08F220/02—Monocarboxylic acids having less than ten carbon atoms; Derivatives thereof
    • C08F220/10—Esters
    • C08F220/34—Esters containing nitrogen, e.g. N,N-dimethylaminoethyl (meth)acrylate
    • C08F220/36—Esters containing nitrogen, e.g. N,N-dimethylaminoethyl (meth)acrylate containing oxygen in addition to the carboxy oxygen, e.g. 2-N-morpholinoethyl (meth)acrylate or 2-isocyanatoethyl (meth)acrylate
    • C08F220/365—Esters containing nitrogen, e.g. N,N-dimethylaminoethyl (meth)acrylate containing oxygen in addition to the carboxy oxygen, e.g. 2-N-morpholinoethyl (meth)acrylate or 2-isocyanatoethyl (meth)acrylate containing further carboxylic moieties
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41C—PROCESSES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR REPRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES
    • B41C1/00—Forme preparation
    • B41C1/003—Forme preparation the relief or intaglio pattern being obtained by imagewise deposition of a liquid, e.g. by an ink jet
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/004—Photosensitive materials
    • G03F7/027—Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/004—Photosensitive materials
    • G03F7/027—Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds
    • G03F7/028—Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds with photosensitivity-increasing substances, e.g. photoinitiators
    • G03F7/031—Organic compounds not covered by group G03F7/029
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/004—Photosensitive materials
    • G03F7/027—Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds
    • G03F7/032—Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds with binders
    • G03F7/035—Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds with binders the binders being polyurethanes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a curable jettable fluid for making a flexographic printing master and to a method for making a
  • Flexography is today one of the most important printing techniques. It is used for printing on a variety of substrates such as paper, paperboard stock, corrugated board, films, foils and laminates.
  • Coarse surfaces and stretch films can only be printed economically with flexography, making it indeed very appropriate for packaging material printing.
  • flexographic printing masters are prepared by both analogue and digital imaging techniques.
  • Analogue imaging typically uses a film mask through which a flexographic printing precursor is exposed.
  • Digital imaging techniques include:
  • LAMS Laser Ablative Mask System as disclosed in e.g. EP-A 1170121;
  • the major advantage of an inkjet method for preparing a flexographic printing master is an improved sustainability due to the absence of any processing steps and the consumption of no more material as necessary to form a suitable relief image (i.e. removal of material in the non printing areas is no longer required) .
  • EP-A 641648 discloses a method of making a photopolymer relief-type printing plate wherein a positive or negative image is formed on a substrate by inkjet printing with a photopolymeric ink, optionally preheated to a temperature between 30 and 260°C and subjecting the resulting printed substrate to UV radiation, thereby curing the ink composition forming the image.
  • US6520084 discloses a method of preparing flexographic printing masters by inkjet wherein a removable filler material is used to support the relief image being printed and wherein the relief image is grown in inverted orientation on a substrate. Disadvantages of this method are the removal of the filler material and the release of the relief image from the substrate.
  • EP-A 1428666 discloses a method of making a flexographic printing master by means of jetting subsequent layers of a curable fluid on a flexographic support. Before jetting the following layer, the previous layer is immobilized by a curing step.
  • a flexographic printing master is prepared by inkjet wherein each layer of ink is first jetted and partially cured on a blanket whereupon each such layer is then transferred to a substrate having an elastomeric floor, thereby building up the relief image layer by layer.
  • a similar method is disclosed in EP-A 1449648 wherein a lithographic printing plate is used to transfer such layers of ink to a substrate.
  • US20080053326 discloses a method of making a flexographic printing master by inkjet wherein successive layers of a polymer are applied to a specific optimized substrate.
  • curing means are provided to additionally cure, for example, the side surfaces of the image relief being formed.
  • EP-A 2223803 a UV curable hot melt ink is used. Each of the deposited layers of ink is gelled before the deposition of a subsequent layer on the deposited layer. After the printing master with sufficient thickness is formed, the ink is cured.
  • EP-As 1637926 and 1637322 disclose a specific curable jettable fluid for making flexographic printing masters comprising a photo- initiator, a monofunctional monomer, a polyfunctional monomer or oligomer and at least 5 wt . of a plasticizer. The presence of the plasticizer is necessary to obtain a flexographic printing master having the necessary flexibility. Also in EP-A 2033778, the curable jettable fluid for making a relief image by inkjet on a sleeve body contains a plasticizer.
  • a flexographic printing master formed on a support by an inkjet method typically comprises an elastomeric floor, an optional mesa relief and an image relief as disclosed in EP-A 2199082.
  • a jettable fluid comprising a plasticizer as prescribed in EP-As 1637926, 1637322, 2199082 and 2199081 has two disadvantages.
  • the plasticizers may migrate towards the surface of the image relief as a function of time or may be extracted out of the relief image by the printing ink during the flexographic printing process. This may result in a change of the physical properties of the image relief and as a result thereof of the printing properties of the image relief.
  • the presence of plasticizers in the ink often results in a too high viscosity.
  • the object of the present invention is realised with a curable jettable fluid for making a flexographic printing master by inkjet characterized in that the jettable fluid has a viscosity measured at jetting temperature of less than 15 mPa . s and comprises at least 50 wt.% of a mixture of a cyclic monofunctional (meth) acrylate monomer, a monofunctional urethane acrylate oligomer and a difunctional (meth) acrylate monomer.
  • Figure 1 shows an embodiment of an apparatus for printing a
  • the curable jettable fluid according to the present invention for making a flexographic printing master characterized in that the jettable fluid has a viscosity measured at jetting temperature of less than 15 mPa.s and comprises at least 50 wt.% of a mixture of a cyclic monofunctional (meth) acrylate monomer, a monofunctional urethane acrylate oligomer and a difunctional (meth) acrylate monomer .
  • the curable jettable fluid may further comprise an initiator, polymerization inhibitors, compounds which decrease oxygen
  • the curable jettable fluid comprises a cyclic monofunctional
  • (meth) acrylate monomer examples include isobornyl acrylate (SR506D from Sartomer) ,
  • cyclic trimethylolpropane formal acrylate (SR531 from Sartomer) , 2-phenoxyethyl acrylate (SR339C from Sartomer) , 2- phenoxyethyl methacrylate (SR340 from Sartomer) , tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate (SR285 from Sartomer), 3, 3, 5-trimethyl cyclohexyl acrylate (CD420 from Sartomer) .
  • Particularly preferred cyclic monofunctional acrylates monomers are isobornyl acrylate (IBOA) and 4-t . butylcyclohexyl arylate (Laromer TBCH from BASF) .
  • the amount of the cyclic monofunctional (meth) acrylate monomer is preferably at least 40 wt . % of the total monomer content.
  • Monofunctional urethane acrylate oligomer Urethane acrylates oligomers are well known and are prepared by reacting polyisocyanates with hydroxyl alkyl acrylates, usually in the presence of a polyol compound. Their functionality (i.e. number of acrylate groups) varies from 1 to 6. A lower functionality results in lower reactivity, better flexibility and a lower
  • the polyol compound forms the backbone of the urethane acrylate.
  • the polyol compounds are polyether or polyester compounds with a functionality (hydroxyl groups) ranging from two to four.
  • Polyether urethane acrylates are generally more flexible, provide lower cost, and have a slightly lower viscosity and are therefore preferred .
  • the most preferred monofunctional urethane acrylate oligomers are monofunctional aliphatic urethane acrylates having a very low viscosity of 100 mPa . s or lower at 25°C, like for example Genomer 1122 (2-acrylic acid 2- ⁇ [ (butylamino) carbonyl] oxy ⁇ ethyl ester, available from Rahn AG) and Ebecryl 1039 (available from Cytec Industries Inc.).
  • the total amount of the monofunctional urethane acrylate oligomer is preferably at least 10 wt . % of the total monomer content.
  • Difunctional (meth) acrylate monomer A preferred difunctional (meth) acrylate monomer is a polyalkylene glycol di (meth) acrylate . Such compounds have two acrylate or methacrylate groups attached by an ester linkage at the opposite ends of a hydrophilic polyalkylene glycol.
  • the longer the length of the polyalkylene chain the softer and more flexible the obtained layer after curing.
  • polyalkylene glycol di (meth) acrylates examples include:
  • the number between brackets in the above list refers to the Molecular Weight (MW) of the polyalkylene chain.
  • polyethylene glycol diacrylates are polyethylene glycol diacrylates.
  • Specific examples of commercially available polyethylene glycol diacrylate monomers include SR259 [polyethylene glycol (200) diacrylate], SR344 [polyethylene glycol (400)
  • Polyethylene glycol (600) diacrylate available as SR610 from
  • Sartomer is particularly preferred.
  • difunctional acrylate or methacrylate monomers are e.g. butane diol diacrylate, alkoxylated hexanediol diacrylate, alkoxylated neopentyl glycol diacrylate and alkoxylated hexanediol dimethacrylate.
  • the amount of the difunctional (meth) acrylate is preferably at least 10 wt . % of the total monomer content.
  • Additional mono- or multifunctional monomers or oligomers may be used to further optimize the properties of the curable jettable fluid.
  • the curable jettable fluid comprises an initiator which, upon exposure to radiation or heat, initiates the curing, i.e.
  • a photo-initiator which upon absorption of actinic radiation, preferably UV-radiation, forms high-energy species (for example radicals) inducing polymerization and
  • a combination of two or more photo-initiators may be used.
  • a photo- initiator system comprising a photo-initiator and a co-initiator, may also be used.
  • a suitable photo-initiator system comprises a photo-initiator, which upon absorption of actinic radiation forms free radicals by hydrogen abstraction or electron extraction from a second compound, the co-initiator. The co-initiator becomes the actual initiating free radical.
  • Irradiation with actinic radiation may be realized in two steps, each step using actinic radiation having a different wavelength and/or intensity. In such cases it is preferred to use 2 types of photo-initiators, chosen in function of the different actinic radiation used. Suitable photo-initiators are disclosed in EP-A 1637926 paragraph [0077] to [0079] .
  • a preferred total amount of initiator is 1 to 10 wt.%, more
  • Suitable polymerization inhibitors include phenol type antioxidants, hindered amine light stabilizers, phosphor type antioxidants, hydroquinone monomethyl ether commonly used in (meth) acrylate monomers, and hydroquinone, methylhydroquinone, t-butylcatechol , pyrogallol may also be used.
  • a phenol compound having a double bond in molecules derived from acrylic acid is particularly preferred due to its having a polymerization-restraining effect even when heated in a closed, oxygen-free environment. Suitable
  • inhibitors are, for example, Sumilizer ® GA-80, Sumilizer® G and
  • the amount capable of preventing polymerization be determined prior to blending.
  • the amount of a polymerization inhibitor is generally between 200 and 20 000 ppm of the total curable jettable liquid weight.
  • polymerization inhibition with radical polymerization inhibitors are: 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-l- (4-morpholinophenyl) -butane-1 and 1- hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone ; 1-hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone and benzophenone; 2-methyl-l [4- (methylthio) phenyl] -2-morpholino- propane-l-on and diethylthioxanthone or isopropylthioxanthone; and benzophenone and acrylate derivatives having a tertiary amino group, and addition of tertiary amines.
  • An amine compound is commonly employed to decrease an oxygen polymerization inhibition or to increase sensitivity.
  • an amine compound is used in combination with a high acid value compound, the storage stability at high temperature tends to be decreased. Therefore, specifically, the use of an amine compound with a high acid value compound in ink- jet printing should be avoided.
  • Synergist additives may be used to improve the curing quality and to diminish the influence of the oxygen inhibition.
  • Such additives include, but are not limited to ACTILANE ® 800 and ACTILANE ® 725 available from AKZO NOBEL, Ebecryl® P115 and Ebecryl ® 350 available from UCB CHEMICALS and CD 1012, Craynor CN 386 (amine modified acrylate) and Craynor CN 501 (amine modified ethoxylated
  • the elastomeric binder may be a single binder or a mixture of various binders.
  • the elastomeric binder is an elastomeric copolymer of a conjugated diene-type monomer and a polyene monomer having at least two non-conjugated double bonds, or an elastomeric copolymer of a conjugated diene-type monomer, a polyene monomer having at least two non-conjugated double bonds and a vinyl monomer
  • the amount of elastomeric binder is preferably less than 5 wt . % . In a particular preferred embodiment, no elastomeric binder is added.
  • the surfactant ( s ) may be anionic, cationic, non-ionic, or zwitter- ionic and are usually added in a total amount below 20 wt.%, more preferably in a total amount below 10 wt.%, each based on the total curable jettable liquid weight.
  • Fluorinated or silicone compounds are preferably used as a
  • a copolymerizable monomer having surface- active effects for example, silicone-modified acrylates, silicone modified methacrylates , fluorinated acrylates, and fluorinated methacrylates .
  • Colorants may be dyes or pigments or a combination thereof.
  • Organic and/or inorganic pigments may be used.
  • Suitable dyes include direct dyes, acidic dyes, basic dyes and reactive dyes.
  • Suitable pigments are disclosed in EP-A 1637926 paragraphs [0098] to [0100] .
  • the pigment is present in the range of 0.01 to 10 wt.%, preferably in the range of 0.1 to 5 wt.%, each based on the total weight of curable jettable liquid.
  • the curable jettable liquid preferably does not contain an
  • the added solvent may be any amount in the range of 0.1 to 10.0 wt.%, preferably in the range of 0.1 to 5.0 wt.%, each based on the total weight of curable jettable liquid.
  • a humectant may be added to prevent the clogging of the nozzle, due to its ability to slow down the evaporation rate of curable jettable liquid.
  • Suitable humectants are disclosed in EP-A 1637926 paragraph [0105] .
  • a humectant is preferably added to the curable jettable liquid formulation in an amount of 0.01 to 20 wt.% of the formulation, more preferably in an amount of 0.1 to 10 wt.% of the formulation.
  • Suitable biocides include sodium dehydroacetate, 2-phenoxyethanol , sodium benzoate, sodium pyridinethion-l-oxide , ethyl p-hydroxy- benzoate and 1 , 2-benzisothiazolin-3-one and salts thereof.
  • a preferred biocide is Proxel ® GXL available from ZENECA COLOURS.
  • a biocide is preferably added in an amount of 0.001 to 3 wt.%, more preferably in an amount of 0.01 to 1.00 wt.%, each based on the total weight of the curable jettable liquid.
  • the curable jettable liquids may be prepared as known in the art by mixing or dispersing the ingredients together, optionally followed by milling, as described for example in EP-A 1637322 paragraph
  • the viscosity of the curable jettable fluid at jetting temperature is less than 15 mPa.s, preferably less than 12 mPa.s, more preferably less than 10 mPa.s.
  • flexographic printing supports Two forms of flexographic printing supports may be used: a plate form and a cylindrical form, the latter commonly referred to as a sleeve. If the print master is created as a plate form on a flatbed inkjet device, the mounting of the plate form on a printing cylinder may introduce mechanical distortions resulting in so-called
  • anamorphic distortion in the printed image Such a distortion may be compensated by an anamorphic pre-compensation in an image processing step prior to halftoning.
  • Creating the print master directly on a sheet form mounted on a print cylinder or directly on a sleeve avoids the problem of geometric distortion altogether.
  • Using a sleeve as support provides improved registration accuracy and faster change over time on press.
  • sleeves may be well-suited for mounting on an inkjet printer having a rotating drum, as shown in Figure 1. This also makes it possible to create seamless flexographic printing sleeves, which have applications in printing continuous designs such as in wallpaper, decoration, gift wrapping paper and packaging.
  • flexographic printing support often encompasses two types of support:
  • the one or more elastomeric layers form the so-called
  • the flexographic printing support referred to is a support, preferably a sleeve, without one or more elastomeric layers forming an elastomeric floor.
  • a sleeve is also referred to as a basic sleeve or a sleeve base.
  • Basic sleeves typically consist of composites, such as epoxy or polyester resins reinforced with glass fibre or carbon fibre mesh.
  • Metals, such as steel, aluminium, copper and nickel, and hard polyurethane surfaces (e.g. durometer 75 Shore D) can also be used.
  • the basic sleeve may be formed from a single layer or multiple layers of flexible material, as for example disclosed by US2002466668.
  • Flexible basic sleeves made of polymeric films can be transparent to ultraviolet radiation and thereby accommodate backflash exposure for building a floor in the cylindrical printing element.
  • Multiple layered basic sleeves may include an adhesive layer or tape between the layers of flexible material.
  • Preferred is a multiple layered basic sleeve as disclosed in US5301610.
  • the basic sleeve may also be made of non-transparent, actinic radiation blocking materials, such as nickel or glass epoxy.
  • the basic sleeve typically has a thickness from 0.1 to 1.5 mm for thin sleeves and from 2 mm to as high as 100 mm for other sleeves.
  • sleeve bases may be conical or cylindrical. Cylindrical sleeve bases are used primarily in flexographic printing.
  • Air mandrels are hollow steel cores which can be
  • Foamed adapter or bridge sleeves are used to "bridge" the difference in diameter between the air-cylinder and a flexographic printing sleeve containing the printing relief.
  • the diameter of a sleeve depends upon the required repeat length of the printing job.
  • FIG. 1 A particularly preferred drum (140) based printing device (100) using a sleeve body (130) as flexographic support is shown in Figure 1.
  • the rotating drum (140) is driven by a motor (110) .
  • the means for inkjet printing includes any device capable of coating a surface by breaking up a radiation curable fluid into small droplets which are then directed onto the surface.
  • the radiation curable fluids are jetted by one or more printing heads ejecting small droplets in a controlled manner through nozzles onto a flexographic printing support, which is moving relative to the printing head(s).
  • a preferred printing head for the inkjet printing system is a piezoelectric head.
  • Piezoelectric inkjet printing is based on the movement of a
  • the piezoelectric ceramic transducer when a voltage is applied thereto.
  • the application of a voltage changes the shape of the piezoelectric ceramic transducer in the printing head creating a void, which is then filled with radiation curable fluid.
  • the ceramic returns to its original shape, ejecting a drop of fluid from the print head.
  • the inkjet printing method is not restricted to piezoelectric inkjet printing.
  • Other inkjet printing heads can be used and include various types, such as a continuous type and thermal, electrostatic and acoustic drop on demand types.
  • the radiation curable fluids must be ejected readily from the printing heads, which puts a number of constraints on the physical properties of the fluid, e.g.
  • a low viscosity at the jetting temperature which may vary from 25°C to 110 °C and a surface energy such that the printing head nozzle can form the necessary small droplets.
  • An example of a printhead according to the current invention is capable to eject droplets having a volume between 0.1 and 100 picoliter (pi) and preferably between 1 and 30 pi. Even more preferably the droplet volume is in a range between 1 pi and 8 pi. Even more preferably the droplet volume is only 2 or 3 pi .
  • full curing refers to the degree of curing, i.e. the percentage of converted functional groups, and may be determined by, for example, RT-FTIR (Real-Time Fourier Transform Infa-Red Spectroscopy) which is a method well known to the one skilled in the art of curable formulations.
  • Partial curing is defined as a degree of curing wherein at least 5 %, preferably 10 %, of the functional groups in the coated formulation or the fluid droplet is converted.
  • Full curing is defined as a degree of curing wherein the increase in the percentage of converted functional groups with increased exposure to radiation (time and/or dose) is negligible.
  • Full curing corresponds with a conversion percentage that is within 10 %, preferably 5 %, from the maximum conversion percentage.
  • the maximum conversion percentage is typically determined by the horizontal asymptote in a graph representing the percentage conversion versus curing energy or curing time.
  • no curing this means that less than 5 %, preferably less than 2.5 %, most preferably less than 1 %, of the functional groups in the coated formulation or the fluid droplet are converted.
  • applied fluid droplets which are not cured are allowed to spread or coalesce with adjacent applied fluid droplets.
  • Curing may be performed by heating (thermal curing) , by exposing to actinic radiation (e.g. UV curing) or by electron beam curing.
  • the curing process is performed by UV radiation.
  • the curing means may be arranged in combination with the inkjet printhead, travelling therewith so that the curable fluid is exposed to curing radiation very shortly after been jetted (see Figure 1, curing means 150, printhead 160) .
  • a static fixed radiation source may be employed, e.g. a source of UV-light, which is then connected to the printhead by means of flexible radiation conductive means such as a fibre optic bundle or an internally reflective flexible tube.
  • a source of radiation arranged not to move with the print head may be an elongated radiation source extending
  • each applied fluid droplet is cured when it passes beneath the curing means 170.
  • the time between jetting and curing depends on the distance between the printhead and the curing means 170 and the rotational speed of the rotating drum 140.
  • a combination of both curing means 150 and 170 can also be used as depicted in Figure 1.
  • any UV light source as long as part of the emitted light can be absorbed by the photo-initiator or photo-initiator system of the fluid droplets, may be employed as a radiation source, such as, a high or low pressure mercury lamp, a cold cathode tube, a black light, an ultraviolet LED, an ultraviolet laser, and a flash light.
  • the imaging apparatus preferably has a plurality of UV light emitting diodes. The advantage of using UV LEDs is that it allows a more compact design of the imaging apparatus.
  • UV radiation is generally classified as UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C as follows :
  • UV-A 400 nm to 320 nm
  • UV-C radiation has poor penetration capabilities and enables to cure droplets primarily on the outside.
  • a typical UV-C light source is low pressure mercury vapour electrical discharge bulb. Such a source has a small spectral distribution of energy, with only a strong peak in the short wavelength region of the UV spectrum.
  • UV-A radiation Long wavelength UV radiation, such as UV-A radiation, has better penetration properties.
  • a typical UV-A source is a medium or high pressure mercury vapour electrical discharge bulb.
  • UV-LEDs have become commercially available which also emit in the UV-A spectrum and that have the potential to replace gas discharge bulb UV sources. By doping the mercury gas in the discharge bulb with iron or gallium, an emission can be obtained that covers both the UV-A and UV-C spectrum.
  • the intensity of a curing source has a direct effect on curing speed. A high intensity results in higher curing speeds.
  • the curing speed should be sufficiently high to avoid oxygen inhibition of free radicals that propagate during curing. Such inhibition not only decreases curing speed, but also negatively affects the conversion ratio of monomer into polymer.
  • the imaging apparatus preferably includes one or more oxygen depletion units.
  • the oxygen depletion units place a blanket of nitrogen or other relatively inert gas (e.g.CC>2), with adjustable position and adjustable inert gas concentration, in order to reduce the oxygen concentration in the curing environment.
  • relatively inert gas e.g.CC>2
  • Residual oxygen levels are usually maintained as low as 200 ppm, but are generally in the range of 200 ppm to 1200 ppm.
  • Another way to prevent oxygen inhibition is the performance of a low intensity pre-exposure before the actual curing.
  • a partially cured fluid droplet is solidified but still contains residual monomer. This approach improves the adhesion properties between the layers that are subsequently printed on top of each other. Partial intermediate curing is possible with UV-C radiation, UV-A radiation or with broad spectrum UV radiation. As mentioned above, UV-C radiation cures the outer skin of a fluid droplet and therefore a UV-C partially cured fluid droplet will have a reduced availability of monomer in the outer skin and this negatively affects the adhesion between neighbouring layers of the relief image. It is therefore preferred to perform the partial curing with UV-A radiation.
  • SR506D is an isobornylacryate available from Sartomer.
  • Genomer 1122 is a low viscous monofunctional urethane acrylate (2-acrylic acid 2- ( ( (acryl-amino) carbonyl ) oxy) ethylester) from RAHN.
  • Santicizer 278 is a high molecular weight Texanol Benzyl
  • Phthalate plasticizer from MONSANTO Phthalate plasticizer from MONSANTO.
  • Laromer TBCH is a 4-t. butyl cyclohexyl acrylate from BASF.
  • VEEA is a 2- (2-vinyloxyethoxy) ethyl acrylate >98% from NIPPON SHOKUBAI .
  • CD561 is an alkoxylated hexane diol diacrylate from SARTOMER.
  • Ebecryl 1360 is silicone hexa acrylate from Cytec.
  • SR340 is a 2-phenoxy ethyl methacrylate from SARTOMER.
  • SR610 is a polyethylene glycol (600) diacrylate from SARTOMER.
  • Agfarad is a mixture of 4 wt . % p-methoxyphenol , 10 wt . % 2,6-di- tert-butyl-4-methylfenol and 3.6 wt . % Aluminium N-nitroso- phenylhydroxylamine (available from CUPFERRON AL) in DPGDA.
  • DPGDA is a dipropylene glycol diacrylate available from UCB.
  • Irgacure 819 is a UV-photoinitiator from CIBA.
  • SR238 is a 1,6 hexanediol diacrylate from SARTOMER.
  • TMPTA is trimethylolpropane triacrylate from Cytec.
  • the curable fluids INV-1 to INV-5 and COMP-1 to COMP-8 were prepared by mixing the ingredients listed in Table 1. Table 1
  • the comparative fluids COMP-01 to COMP-08 only contain two from the three mandatory ingredients according to the present invention.
  • the comparative fluids COMP-9 and 10 do contain the three mandatory ingredients, but the sum of the three ingredients is less than 50 wt% relative to the total fluid.
  • Viscosity The viscosity of the curable jettable fluids was measured with a
  • Standard measurements of the hardness of various substances are currently performed using durometer hardness test procedures, such as those set forth in ASTM D2240.
  • the durometer hardness procedures are used for determining indentation hardness of various substances, and are particularly useful for elastomeric materials.
  • These test methods measure the depression force of a specific type of indentor as it is forced under specific conditions against the material's surface. Due to the various parameters which influence hardness determinations, different durometer scales have been established. A particular scale is chosen depending on the type of material to be measured. For example, materials which are relatively soft, such as elastomeric materials, are measured on a Shore A scale. Shore A scale measurements use a steel rod indentor shaped with a blunt end, and a calibrated spring force. The indentor descends at a controlled rate against the specimen surface and a reading is recorded within a specified time period. This procedure is repeated multiple times at different positions on the specimen and the arithmetic mean of the results yields the Shore A measurement.
  • the samples to be measured were prepared as follows. A petri dish made out of polystyrene and having a diameter of 5.6 cm was filled with 10 g of the curable fluids.
  • the height of the added photopolymer was ⁇ 4 mm (volumetric shrinkage not taken in account) .
  • the filled petri dish was placed in a quartz glass box filled up with Nitrogen.
  • the distance between the lamp and the sample was approx. 10 cm.
  • the Curing time was 10 minutes. Subsequently the samples were back exposed during 10 min. After releasing the disk-shaped UV-A cured fluids out of the Petri dish, a UV-C post-curing (also making use of the quartz box filled with nitrogen) was carried out.
  • Philips TUV lamps 254 nm) .
  • the upper side was cured during 20 minutes .
  • Elongation at break expressed as a percentage compared to the initial length at rest, corresponds to the maximum elongation prior to breaking.
  • Elongation at break expressed as a percentage compared to the initial length at rest, corresponds to the maximum elongation attained prior to breaking.
  • Strips made of 2 adhered layers of a Tesa plate mounting tape 52338 (thickness 0.5 mm incl . protective layer) with a width of 1.5 cm were mounted on the border of a Lumirror X43 support from Toray in the linear direction. These guidance border strips were used in combination with a 100 ⁇ coating knife and acted as a spacing aid to obtain a final coated/cured layer thickness of approx. 0.38 mm.
  • the coated layer was then placed very cautious (must be kept perfectly horizontal to avoid spreading out) in a quartz glass box filled with nitrogen gas before curing.
  • UV-C post-treatment step was carried out.
  • T-bone shaped sample 150 mm X 19 mm was cut out and the polymerized layer was stripped of from its temporary support.
  • Creep recovery reflects the resistance of a material to deform permanently to relieve stresses. To determine creep properties, a sample is subjected to prolonged constant tension or compression at constant temperature. Deformation is recorded at specified time intervals and a creep vs. time diagram is plotted. The slope of the curve at any point is the creep rate. If the specimen does not fracture within the test period, the creep recovery can be measured.
  • a circular cured sample of the curable jettable liquid (prepared as described for the T-bone sample in the elongation at break test method), having a diameter of 6.2 mm and a thickness of 0.38 mm, was deformed in a Texas Instruments DMA 2980 (dynamic mechanical analysis) apparatus with a ball point probe having a diamter of 2.7 mm during 5 minutes with a set pressure of 0.005 MPa.
  • a low viscosity curable jettable fluid (viscosity less than 15 mPa.s), i.e. having no plasticizer, and having good "flexographic" properties can only be obtained when the fluid contains at least 50 wt . % of a mixture of a cyclic monofunctional acrylate monomer, a monofunctional urethane acrylate oligomer and a difunctional (meth) acrylate monomer.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Spectroscopy & Molecular Physics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Inks, Pencil-Leads, Or Crayons (AREA)
  • Ink Jet (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention porte sur un fluide approprié au jet durcissable pour la fabrication d'une matrice d'impression flexographique, caractérisé en ce que le fluide approprié au jet a une viscosité mesurée à la température de jet inférieure à 15 mPa.s et comprend au moins 50 % en poids d'un mélange d'un monomère (méth)acrylate monofonctionnel cyclique, d'un oligomère d'uréthane-acrylate monofonctionnel et d'un monomère (méth)acrylate difonctionnel.
EP11804546.7A 2010-12-20 2011-12-19 Fluide approprié au jet durcissable pour la fabrication d'une matrice d'impression flexographique Not-in-force EP2656145B1 (fr)

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EP10195891 2010-12-20
US201061425256P 2010-12-21 2010-12-21
PCT/EP2011/073195 WO2012084786A1 (fr) 2010-12-20 2011-12-19 Fluide approprié au jet durcissable pour la fabrication d'une matrice d'impression flexographique
EP11804546.7A EP2656145B1 (fr) 2010-12-20 2011-12-19 Fluide approprié au jet durcissable pour la fabrication d'une matrice d'impression flexographique

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EP2656145B1 (fr) 2019-03-20
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